The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Otacanthus plant of the Schrophulariaceae family, botanically known as Otacanthus azureus Ronse., syn. O. caeruleus Lindl., commonly known by the name Brazilian Snapdragon, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Calandra’.
The new Octacanthus is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor, Carsten Leth, in Stige, Denmark. The new Otacanthus originated from a selfing made in 2002 by the Inventor of an unnamed, unpatented seedling plant of an Otacanthus azureus Ronse. cultivar designated ‘2015’, which was a selection from a seedling batch produced from wild type plants. The Inventor selected the new Otacanthus cultivar as a single flowering plant from the progeny of the above selfing in April of 2003 on the basis of its flower color combination, freely branching habit, and upright, compact plant habit. Plants of the new Otacanthus cultivar ‘Calanda’ have upright, compact plant habit, are freely branching, and produce flowers with unique blue colored petals.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first performed in October of 2003 by terminal cuttings taken and propagated and trial production batches in Stige, Denmark, has demonstrated that the combination of unique features as disclosed herein for this new Otacanthus cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true-to-type.